Invasives detected, boaters ticketed

Water chestnut, milfoil traces found on trailers after boats were launched

By Rick Karlin

Updated 7:11 am, Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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A sample of eurasian water-milfoil found on a boat at the Saratoga Lake state boat launch by Paul Smiths College lake stewards Thursday morning July 8, 2010. The school's lake stewardship program has moved into Saratoga County, where students from the school monitor boats being put into and taken out of Saratoga lake and check them for milfoil and other invasive species. Good cleaning of your bow & propeller can stop the spread of invasives to other lakes. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) less

A sample of eurasian water-milfoil found on a boat at the Saratoga Lake state boat launch by Paul Smiths College lake stewards Thursday morning July 8, 2010. The school's lake stewardship program has moved ... more

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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Eric Holmlund, director of the watershed stewardship for Paul Smith's College, pulls water chestnut plants from Saratoga Lake. The college's lake stewardship program has moved into Saratoga County, where students from the school monitor boats being put into and taken out of lake and check them for milfoil and other invasive species. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) less

Eric Holmlund, director of the watershed stewardship for Paul Smith's College, pulls water chestnut plants from Saratoga Lake. The college's lake stewardship program has moved into Saratoga County, where ... more

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Invasives detected, boaters ticketed

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Albany

Less than two weeks after agreeing that Lake George needs a mandatory inspection system, local officials learned that the Queen of American Lakes might have been contaminated by another invasive species.

The state issued what is thought to be its first tickets relating to invasives to participants in a fishing tournament, who authorities say carried in milfoil and water chestnuts when two boats entered the lake at the Mossy Point launch near Ticonderoga.

An inspection station was set up at 5 a.m. Sunday at the launch on the northern part of the 32-mile-long lake. But the two boats cited had entered the lake earlier and authorities found traces of the plants on their trailers, said Eric Siy, executive director of the Fund for Lake George.

Lake George is already battling the spread of Eurasian milfoil. Water chestnuts haven't been a problem, but they are found in nearby Lake Champlain. One contamination is unlikely to cause a chestnut crisis, but the incident underscores how tricky it can be to keep these and other plants at bay.

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Invasive plants, as well as mussels and clams, can multiply rapidly — crowding out native species, clogging waterways and reducing biological diversity.

Laws against bringing in invasive species have been on the books for years, but authorities until now have given warnings rather than tickets. The two anglers who were given a total of three tickets could face up to $1,250 in combined fines.

Its members voted in July to begin a mandatory inspection program designed to keep invasive plants and wildlife, such as quagga mussels and Asian clams, out of the water.

A voluntary program has been in place, but under the new system boats will have to be inspected before they are launched.

If invasive species are found or suspected, a boat would have to be hosed down with hot water, at no cost to boaters. Officials hope to have the program in place by next summer.

How to deal with fishing tournaments presents a challenge to the program. Some competitive anglers arrive in the pre-dawn hours before a contest starts and, anxious to begin, immediately launch their boats.

The cost of a 24-hour inspection system could be prohibitive. But a daylight-only checkup wouldn't ensure that all boats are properly inspected.

"The after-hours provisions are still a work in progress," Wick said.

"The point to be made is that invasives are still coming to the lake, and the way to stop them is to have a good, thorough inspection before they enter the water," said Walter Lender of the Lake George Association.